Is there a word to describe a 'fork-tongued' shape?

Question

For example, in the image below (the green shape), what is this called?

It is like the bottom of a traditional bookmark, the ribbon of a medal, or a snake's forked tongue. Does anybody know if there a single word to describe this shape? Maybe it's just 'ribbon' but that doesn't specify the pointy edges. Thanks in advance.

For context, it is part of a design I am working on and need a term to describe this element which is used throughout the design. If theres a heraldic or geometric term that's fine. I am hoping to be able to use a word for it (instead of the 'bookmark thingy') and other people realise I am talking about this particular shaped element. Plus, I am interested to know if there is actually a word for this particular shape which there surely must be, but I've never heard it.

Answer 1

The shape pattern can be described as swallowtail (or tailcoat).

1 : a deeply forked and tapering tail (as of a swallow)
2 : tailcoat
_{(Source: Merriam-Webster)}

The shape itself appears to me to be a kind of pennant.

: any of various nautical flags tapering usually to a point or swallowtail and used for identification or signaling
_{(Source: Merriam-Webster)}

Wikipedia has an entry for a swallowtail as it pertains to flags.

In flag terminology, a swallowtail is either

a V-shaped cut in a flag that causes the flag to end in two points at the fly; or

any flag which has this V-shaped cut.

The name comes from the forked tail that is a common feature of the swallow species of birds.

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I just want to make a short note about dovetail, since it is mentioned in comments below. A dovetail is a common reference to a type of joint that is known for doing a great job at keeping two pieces of wood together (usually at a corner).

The tail of a dove when in flight is wide at the base and tapers into the bird, which describes the shapes involved in the dovetail joint.

In other contexts, dovetail may refer to interleaving or joining things together.

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(All images were sourced from Wikipedia).

Answer 2

You could use bifurcate or bifurcated.

The symbol you include looks more notched than forked to me.

Answer 3

I would use the same word you did and call it "a forked figure"

forked - shaped like a fork or having a forked part. Merriam-Webster

examples: a forked road, a forked tail, a forked tongue, a forked tree, etc.

Answer 4

I would just use "ribbon" in this context.

This shape is commonly just called a "ribbon" in the context of web design and site usage. It's a very popular design element currently, as a search for "web design ribbon" will reveal (for example, here is a page of 21 Examples of Ribbon Web Design).

My workplace, a library, uses a ribbon on its public website. We simply call it a "ribbon" when directing people to click on it. I have neither encountered nor been able to locate a heraldic or geometric term that describes this specific shape, and if there were such a term, I would expect it to be very obscure. An obscure word will not be very helpful in identifying the shape to your site users, who are likely to have never encountered the word before. "Ribbon" is a familiar word and, again, has an established history of use in this context.

If you would like to make it really clear, you could refer to it as a "ribbon icon," "ribbon symbol," or other two word term -- but I don't think there's another single word that is well-known to the general public (if a single word exists at all).

Answer 5

In heraldic terms (blazon) it'd be: Azure (the colour blue) a block, square, (I'll have to look up the shape) per chevron couped. Maybe, for and shorter & understandable term - a chevron icon? Sorry if this doesn't help. -- yy.